


You Will Remember Me for Centuries

by DraconisFelicis (Ravenhoot)



Series: Musings of the Santos Brothers [8]
Category: Caraval Series - Stephanie Garber
Genre: Could Be Canon, F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 14:04:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20359738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenhoot/pseuds/DraconisFelicis
Summary: Scarlett, Julian, Tella, and Legend decompress after defeating the Fallen Star and wonder what comes next.Could be missing scenes near the end ofFinaleso spoilers beware!





	1. Chapter 1

Julian kept his arm wrapped around Scarlett’s waist as if he never intended to let her go. Which, he didn’t. He’d been furious when he’d heard what happened in the throne room. She could have easily gotten killed. He kept reaching up to stroke her hair and each time, he was reminded that her silver streak was gone. He knew why she’d cut it off, but he missed it all the same. 

They sat together on a chaise lounge in the private rooms of the late empress. Legend and Tella were across from them on their own chaise. Nobody could remember the last time any of them had eaten a proper meal, so they’d had a tray of fruits, cheeses, and breads brought up from the kitchens along with several carafes of wine. 

If Paradise had truly been Empress Elantine’s lost child, then as the eldest of Paradise’s children, Scarlett was the true heir to the Meridian Empire. They’d all agreed that tomorrow, they would work on cleaning up the chaos that the Fates had created. Tonight though, they would just decompress and get some much-needed rest. 

Scarlett rested her head on Julian’s shoulder and he tightened his hold on her waist. Considering what could have happened, they were all extremely fortunate to have survived mostly unscathed. 

Julian watched his brother and Tella in silent amazement. According to the both of them, Legend was human - completely mortal. Julian wondered what that would mean for himself and the rest of the Caraval troupe, but Legend had already promised a meeting in the morning, along with Jovan and Nigel to discuss what happens next. 

They’d started off the evening just content to be in one another’s company, quietly sipping and snacking. But after the third carafe of wine was brought up, their agreement to wait until morning to discuss everything seemed to be dissolving. 

“Tell us about the very first Caraval,” Tella beseeched as she got up off the chaise to refill hers and Legend’s wine glasses. When she sat back down, she tucked one leg beneath her and nestled closely against Legend. 

“Oh, saints, what do you want to know?” Legend asked with a chuckle. 

“Well, what was it like before and after you got your magic?” Tella wondered. 

“Before? Oh, before it was barely more than a traveling carnival,” Legend said tersely. “The Santos family was not very talented but they had heart.”

“I thought it was fun,” Julian supplied. “But Dante always wanted it to be bigger and better than it was.”

Legend narrowed his eyes at Julian. 

“Why ‘Legend?’” Scarlett asked. “What prompted you to change your name?”

Tella shifted to see Legend’s face better. She could tell talking about his past wasn’t something he was familiar with or comfortable doing. 

“If you don’t want to tell us, it’s fine,” she offered. 

Legend sighed. “No, it’s not fine. Julian’s my brother, so that makes Scarlett family too. And you’re my future, so you have a right to know my past.”

Tella broke into a wide smile and snuggled closer to him. 

“I was born less than a pauper,” Legend began. “My mother would only give someone the time of day if she thought she could get something from them. As soon as their usefulness ran out, she washed her hands of them. And a child just saddled her down and made it that much harder to scheme and trick people out of their money or their valuables. Our father was an abusive drunk who would routinely beat me for being the constant reminder to his wife of his infidelity.”

Tella wove her fingers in between his and Legend squeezed her hand softly. 

Scarlett leaned closer to Julian to ask him something but he cut her off with a quiet “Shh.” Legend almost never talked about their upbringing. 

“At one of our stops on the ‘Famous Santos Carnival’, I met a girl. She was pretty and funny and entertained by my slight of hand.”

Both Tella and Scarlett shifted uncomfortably. For Tella, she liked to ignore their grandmother’s part in this long, convoluted story. 

“Annalise?” Scarlett guessed. 

Legend nodded. “But the stories have gotten muddled over the years and don’t tell the true story anymore,” he said. “Annalise wasn’t the reason for my seeking out Esmeralda. What I wanted more desperately than anything was to make something of myself. To prove to my good-for-nothing mother and my worthless father that I could rise above what I was born into and become something no one would ever forget. I would give the world a show that was like nothing else they would ever see. I would become a legend. I didn’t even meet Annalise until almost fifty years after becoming immortal. The stories just like to have that doomed romance element to make it more exciting I suppose.”

“So, why did no one know who you really were?” Scarlett pondered aloud. “If you wanted to be more than ‘Dante’ why didn’t you broadcast who ‘Legend’ actually was?”

“At first, my troupe did know who I was… but the longer we did Caraval, the more alluring and mysterious became. People wanted to be swept away and not know what was real. So, I just played into it and gave them what they wanted.”

“For the first few years after getting his magic, he had _me _posing as ‘Legend,’” Julian remarked. 

Scarlett’s eyes brightened with curiosity. “You?”

“Julian is probably why the top hat became a symbol of me,” Legend added. 

Both sisters raised their eyebrows in surprise. 

“How so?” Scarlett asked. 

“Because I wore one along with a velvet cape and was some kind of cross between a ringmaster and a magician,” Julian explained. “Had a few musical numbers too.”

“You sang?” Scarlett asked incredulously. 

Julian chuckled. “Like I told your sister, my brother had me in roles where I did nothing but sing for a few years in a row.”

The sisters laughed and even Legend managed a weak chuckle. Being closed off and secluded about his personal life for so long had become more than a habit - it was his way of life. He reminded himself that nothing about his life would be the same as it had been. A comfortable silence settled over the room but was soon broken by Tella. 

“I can’t believe you’re going to be the empress,” she said, catching her sister’s eye. 

“I know,” Scarlett agreed. “It seems surreal that our mother was royalty.”

“So, you actually _talked _to her?” Tella said, a hint of jealousy in her voice. 

“Yes,” Scarlett said. “She was like a whole different person. I wish we could have gotten to know that version of her.”

Julian glanced at Legend across from him and mouthed _We need to talk _. 

Legend gave his brother a curt nod and quietly slid off the chaise while Tella was caught up in conversation with her sister. Scarlett cast a questioning glance at Julian, who leaned over and kissed her head and murmured, “I just need to speak to my brother. We’ll be right back.”


	2. Chapter 2

Julian followed Legend out into the parlor of the empress’s rooms. He slid the double doors closed and turned to see his brother staring at him expectantly. 

“So what happens now?” 

Legend’s eyebrows rose as he shrugged. 

“Well, it looks like Scarlett is going to be the empress so if you plan to stay with her, you’ll become emperor,” Legend said dryly, trying not to sound bitter. He hadn’t truly wanted to rule the empire, but having it stolen from him by the Fates was still too fresh of a wound to explore in much detail. 

“That’s not what I mean,” Julian countered. He fixed Legend with a piercing stare. 

Legend sighed deeply. “Caraval.”

“Caraval,” Julian repeated. 

“It’s not like I can facilitate it without my magic,” Legend said glumly. “Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t regret giving it up for Tella, but it’s just going to take some getting used to.”

“What’s going to happen to the troupe?” 

Legend shook his head. “I don’t know. I truthfully hadn’t thought that far in advance.”

“Will they age?” Julian asked, voicing a concern he’d had since he found out his brother had given up his immortality. “Will I?”

“I don’t know,” Legend said again. He felt slightly guilty that he hadn’t considered the fates of his faithful troupe when he made his decision to become mortal. Their blood was tied to his. Now that he was no longer immortal, he didn’t know if that would affect the pact that made the troupe ageless. 

Suddenly, Legend felt ashamed that he’d neglected to think about the fates of his loyal players, especially those who had been by his side from the beginning. Even as he thought about it, he couldn’t feel the magical ties that bound him to his players. Their blood bonds had been severed when Legend became mortal.

“I’ll find a way to fix it,” Legend vowed. “I’ll seek out another witch. Esmeralda is dead but she wasn’t the only one. Someone out there can secure you and the rest of the troupe’s agelessness.”

“But I don’t want that,” Julian objected. 

“What?”

“I don’t want to remain ageless. I want a life with Crimson. I want to start a family with her and grow old with her. I can’t speak for the rest of the troupe, but if you do find another witch, I don’t want to be ageless anymore. Aiko and Nigel might want it but I doubt Jovan will.”

Legend stared at the floor, eyes not focused on anything in particular. Julian tugged at the back of his neck. He hadn’t wanted his brother to feel like he’d done something wrong when in fact, Julian couldn’t be more proud of him. He realized he’d never actually told Legend that. 

“I know how hard of a choice it was for you to give up your immortality, brother,” Julian said, “and I’m proud of you for the choice you made. I’m grateful for the many years we’ve had living agelessly. If I could go back to the day we made the blood pact, I would do it all over again, because living as long as we have led us to find Scarlett and Tella and we’re both better off for it. To be frank, the sole reason I don’t want to remain ageless is because you’re now mortal and it would kill me to watch you grow old while I stayed young.”

Legend felt a swell of affection for his younger brother, something he hadn’t ever felt for him before. Naturally, Legend worried for his brother and was concerned for his well being when he made foolish choices, but Legend couldn’t ever think of one time when he’d felt like this. 

Legend’s jaw was set in a ridgid line. He appeared unhappy, but when he grabbed Julian’s wrist and pulled him in to hug him, there was no trace of anger. Julian was taller than Legend by not by much. Still, Legend wrapped one arm over Julian’s shoulder and pulled him down. Julian may be taller, but Legend would always be the eldest brother. 

Julian’s shock at Legend’s unexpected show of affection dissipated quickly and he returned his brother’s embrace. Julian had no memory of ever being hugged like this by his brother. Ever since they’d been children, Julian had yearned for his brother’s love but it had always been outside his grasp. Once Legend had become immortal, he seemed to have forgotten even the concept of love. Julian had lost count of the number of times he’d been hurt by his brother’s inability to love. One heartfelt embrace wasn’t enough to make up for the centuries of one-sided emotion, but it certainly was a start. 

When Legend drew back, his coal-black eyes had a slight shine to them, not unlike the ocean on a moonless night. Julian gave him the courtesy of pretending he hadn’t noticed. 

“I know I’ve wronged you more times than either of us remember,” Legend said thickly, “but I hope we can mend anything that had been broken between us. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you, little brother. And I will _ always _ love you for that.”

Julian’s mouth fell open and he didn’t even bother to try and hide it. Had Legend really just said what he thought he said? 

“You what?” Julian ran a hand through his hair. It might not be wise to test his luck, but he had to make sure he hadn’t imagined what he’d just heard. 

“Being immortal took away my ability to love,” Legend said. “It was actually cruel. You’re my brother. You’ve always been there for me. Of course I wanted to be able to love you for that, but to keep my immortality, I had to lock those desires away and harden my heart into something that wouldn’t even entertain the idea of love.”

Julian was at a loss for words. Twice he opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t think of what to say. Legend was suddenly looking grave again, worry lines creasing his forehead at a thought that had just occurred to him. 

“Julian, do you regret staying with Caraval? With me?”

“Of course not,” Julian answered immediately. “I won’t lie, there were times when I worried for who you were becoming but I always knew you’d find your way back to yourself. And I knew I wanted to be around to see it when it happened.”

“Do you think the troupe will leave?”

“Honestly? No,” Julian replied with a tiny shake of his head. “They’ve been part of Caraval for too long. Like me, it’s their life, their family. They’d have nowhere and no one else to go to. Even if Caraval can’t be the larger-than-life magical spectacle it grew to be, we can still make it something worth seeing.”

“You say ‘we’ even though you’ll be here with Scarlett,” Legend pointed out. 

Julian shrugged. “She’ll be the empress. Surely she can take a little vacation once a year to her good-brother’s private isle.”

The corners of Legend mouth turned up in a grin. He was already envisioning it - Caraval, reborne with Tella by his side. It wouldn’t be the same as it always had been… it would be better. 

Just then, the parlor doors slid open as Tella and Scarlett emerged from the interior rooms. 

“We just wanted to make sure you guys weren’t out here strangling each other. You’ve been out here a long time,” Scarlett said. 

Julian surprised everyone when he pulled Tella, not Scarlett, into a tight embrace. 

“Thank you,” he breathed against her hair. 

He drew back from her and Legend elbowed him lightly in the ribs. “Wrong one, brother. That one’s mine. You have your own Dragna sister.”

Julian rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored his brother. “Thank you, Tella,” he said again. 

Tella raised one eyebrow in confusion. “For what?”

“For writing to Legend when you asked for help. You started all of this with that one letter. I’ll never forget my brother’s face or what he said to me when he showed me that letter. ‘If you still want to leave, brother, I won’t stop you’–”

“But this year’s game will be like nothing we have ever done before,” Legend finished. 

“So you see, Tella,” Julian continued, “if you hadn’t written to Legend, I would have left Caraval and never mended my relationship with my brother. You probably wouldn’t have met Legend and I would have never found Crimson.”

Scarlett stole to his side and slipped her hand into his. He brought it to his mouth and gave it the lightest of kisses. 

“It’s crazy to think all of our lives changed completely with one letter,” Scarlett commented. 

“Some more drastically than others,” Legend remarked. 

Tella exchanged a glance with her sister. 

“If you want to be the emperor, I’m tempted to offer it to you,” Scarlett said, not unkindly. She gave him a warm smile. “It wasn’t something I expected and I still haven’t fully come to terms with it.”

Legend didn’t answer immediately. He glanced at Tella, who’s eyes said she would follow whatever path he chose. But Legend knew Tella would never be happy living in a palace and having her every move scrutinized. And though he wouldn't admit it, he felt a sense of relief that he wouldn't have to be tied down in Valenda. He could hardly wait to get back to his island. 

“It’s yours, by birth,” Legend conceded to Scarlett. “In truth, I’d have been ill-suited for the job. I mostly just wanted to see if I could pull it off.”

“Well, if you’re sure then,” Scarlett said. Legend nodded.

“I think I’m ready to get some sleep," Scarlett announced. "I can’t even remember when I had a decent night’s sleep.”

Julian passed a glance between Scarlett and Legend. 

“We’ll talk to the troupe tomorrow,” Legend decided. Julian grinned and followed Scarlett back into the interior rooms of the empress’s private suite. 

Legend took Tella’s hand and wordlessly led her out of the parlor, into the hall, and up the spiral staircase. When they reached the top floor, the same room where Tella had dined with Empress Elantine, they stood by the window and looked out at the quiet streets of Valenda. 

Tomorrow, there would be fanfare and later, fireworks, to celebrate the formal announcement of a new monarch. But tonight, the city was quiet and serene. 

Legend swept Tella’s curls away from her face and kissed her as if he never wanted to be parted from her. He remembered the night he left her on the stairs at the Temple of the Stars. He had been terror-stricken that he’d been on the verge of losing his magic and his immortality when he’d started to fall in love with her. He’d tried to create the illusion of a raging thunderstorm but hadn’t even been able to manage more than a few pathetic raindrops. 

He thought about that night as he kissed her. Tella yelped as she drew back and looked up sharply. Above their heads but beneath the ceiling, a dark grey stormcloud had formed and without warning, had dumped icy cold rain on them. 

Tella spluttered as the rain soaked through her gown and flattened her curls against her forehead. Legend’s eyes traveled from the raincloud to Tella and back to the cloud. Rain continued to soak through their clothes while everything else around them remained dry. Legend threw back his head and roared with laughter. 

“What could possibly be so funny?” Tella demanded with a weak smile. 

Instead of answering, Legend reached into the illusion and made the cloud dissipate. Instantly, their clothes were dry as if they’d never been soaked at all. Legend barely had to concentrate at all as he imagined fireworks in the sky, colors and shapes that were identical to the night Tella had won Caraval. The illusion sprang into life at his command. 

“Are you doing this?” Tella breathed in awe. 

“It seems so,” Legend replied with a grin that could break hearts. 

“But… how?”

Legend shook his head. “I don’t know. I always associated my magic with my immortality, assuming I couldn’t have one without the other. I suppose I was wrong.”

Tella stared at him with a look of amazed disbelief. Without warning, Legend grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off her feet. He spun her around once, twice, and a third time before he brought her back down and kissed her again. 

If he was honest with himself, it wasn’t his immortality he’d been terrified of losing; it had been his magic. He would have willingly given it up for Tella though, and he thought he had. But it appeared that whatever spell the witch had used when she’d bequeathed his magic upon him had secrets of its own. Or fate had a twisting, unpredictable sense of humor. Either way, Legend wasn’t about to question it when, for the time being at least, he had everything he’d ever wanted. 

Long after they’d descended the staircase and gone back to Tella’s rooms, Legend continued to test the boundaries of his mortal magic. Oddly enough, he didn’t tire from trying larger illusions like he normally would outside of Caraval. Perhaps Tella’s love was an altogether different kind of fuel for his magic, one that didn’t wax and wane like that of the excited energy that came from Caraval. 

One thing was for certain as he lay next to Tella beneath a goose down duvet, her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder - Legend’s life had moved into a new chapter, one that he couldn’t have predicted but that he anticipated with anxious electric excitement. 

“God’s teeth!” Tella yelped. 

“What?!” He partially sat up in alarm. 

Tella giggled until she snorted. “I just remembered. Eventually, we’re going to have a daughter. We’d better start thinking about names, I suppose?” 

Remembering what the wizened old sister had said to them in the Vanished Market, Legend rolled sideways so that he was leaning over her. “Are you proposing what I think you’re proposing?”

Tella smirked at him before drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. 

Definitely not anything he would have ever predicted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "good-brother" is the same thing as "brother-in-law." The terminology just felt better for the setting in my opinion.


End file.
